Israelis hiding from Hamas terrorists while locked in secure rooms near the Gaza border have revealed their horror at the attacks, revealing tragic details such as friends killed, massacre at rave and hearing squads of Hamas gunmen outside.
Israeli medical student Bar Mizrachi, who was visiting his parents in their kibbutz two kilometers from the Gaza border, said he knew from the start of the rockets at 6:30 a.m. that something was different about this attack.
“We are used to missiles and rockets coming, but the pace of the attack was different,” said the 29-year-old, whose family was awakened by an alarm at Kibbutz Given seconds before the attacks began. rocket.
“I had a really bad feeling about it. The noise didn’t stop for twenty minutes, then we started hearing lots of alarms, guns and bombs.
Each of the southern kibbutzims has units made up of members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and their kibbutz was protected when Hamas terrorists attempted to attack them.
Israeli medical student Bar Mizrachi (left) photographed with his parents in a secure room on their kibbutz
Eden Bart was also hiding with her family in their kibbutz – Kfar Aza – and could hear gunfire coming from the neighboring Nahal Oz kibbutz.
Hamas claimed to have fired 5,000 rockets at Israel from the occupied Gaza Strip, triggering air raid sirens over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Online photos and videos appear to show Hamas gunmen taking citizens hostage
This young woman was seen being dragged out of the back of a truck by an armed man, where she was huddled with her hands tied while she was visibly injured.
“They managed to repel the terrorists, but two of our men were injured and one of them is now missing,” Bar said.
“The unit goes door to door to check that everyone is OK, but it’s a very scary and confusing time because people say Hamas also disguises itself as our soldiers and knocks on doors.”
Israel has confirmed that seven southern kibbitzes – Nir Kitzhak, Nahal Oz, Nirim, Sufah, Magen, Holit, Nativ Ha’asara – are still subject to significant exchanges of fire between Hamas militants and the IDF.
“This is an evolving situation,” a spokesperson said.
Bar, his mother Gila, 59, and father Sufa, 66, were still in their safe as they spoke to MailOnline.
A family friend told them she was forced to hide in the bushes for the rest of her life when Palestinians, in one of their first acts, attacked a rave in the early hours of Kibbutz Reim.
“There were gunshots and she went to hide in the bushes and she could hear voices in Arabic, shooting everyone on sight,” he said.
“They were laughing and it was like they were having fun killing all these young people. Photos were published on Al Jazeera showing militants standing over many of the bodies.
The Israeli embassy confirmed that “many” died or were missing at the rave.
Bar, his mother Gila, 59, and father Sufa, 66, were still in their safe as they spoke to MailOnline
Many Israelis wait in their trunks without knowing when they will be able to leave
A man runs on the road as fires burn in Ashkelon, Israel, following rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip launched by the Islamic militant group Hamas.
A rocket is launched from the coastal Gaza Strip towards Israel by militants from the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of the Hamas movement, in Gaza City, October 7, 2023.
One of his mother’s colleagues, from a nearby kibbutz, was also murdered because when the terrorists entered her house, her safe was unlocked.
“We are used to rocket attacks – we don’t expect people to try to enter our homes,” says Bar.
While a cousin from another kibbutz told Bar’s parents that while they were in the safe room of their house, they could hear the Palestinians sitting in their neighboring living room.
“And we just learned that a woman is giving birth in her safe – and the terrorists just burned down her house. We know a lot of people who say their father or sisters were kidnapped.
Bar admitted he had no idea when his family would be able to leave their safe. “We don’t know what will happen next – and we are really worried about the hostages. We just hope we get our people back,” he said.
Another Israeli student, Eden Bart, was also hiding with her family in their kibbutz – Kfar Aza – and could hear gunfire coming from the neighboring Nahal Oz kibbutz, a kilometer away. The family’s safe is in the basement of their home – and they always hid there.
An air raid siren and then a bomb exploded as MailOnline spoke to Eden, 27, who was in the secure room with her parents, two siblings and the family dog.
“We ran downstairs as soon as the bomb threat went off,” she recalls. “And then we heard rockets, bombs, plans, missiles, helicopters. The big difference with this attack is that there was an infiltration.
Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate in front of a destroyed Israeli tank near the Gaza Strip fence, east of Khan Younis in the south, Saturday, October 7, 2023.
Israeli police evacuate a family from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, October 7, 2023
“We can hear a lot of guns, machine guns and some shouting – we think it’s coming from the kibbutz next to ours which was occupied by Hamas.
“The only contact with the outside world was through our phones. We are a religious family, so normally we wouldn’t have our phone on during Shabbat, but we knew people would worry about us.
“Some people we know were killed in the neighboring kibbutz and elsewhere. We are still trying to find relatives and friends – no one knows where these people are.
The kibbutz militia, made up of ex-IDF soldiers, was stationed on the road outside, but Eden admitted it was a terrifying time: “My grandparents are alone in their house on the other side from the street, there are a lot of people who are alone and we are not.” I don’t know what’s going on. We are sitting here very stressed and fearing for our lives, especially since we know what is happening a very short distance from us.
Even if the IDF manages to secure the kibbutz, Eden admits that she was also afraid of what was to come: “We have all been living like this for a long time – we need peace. But things risk getting worse – both for us and for the citizens of Gaza who are also victims of Hamas.
